6 reasons why Bill Nye's new Netflix show will be awesome for science

'Bill Nye Saves the World' will dispel myths and anti-scientific rhetoric on everything from climate change to GMOs.

Bill Nye is slated to return to television in a new series on Netflix in spring 2017.
(Photo: Bill Nye/Facebook)

Bill Nye the Science Guy is back and coming to Netflix.

The streaming network made the surprise announcement in late August, marking a triumphant return of everyone's favorite science personality back to the small screen. The new series, called "Bill Nye Saves the World," will offer a scientific voice of reason in a world filled with misinformation on everything from climate change to GMOs, vaccines to renewable energy, and much more.

"With the right science and good writing, we’ll do our best to enlighten and entertain our audience. And, perhaps we’ll change the world a little,” Nye said in a press release.

In many ways, this new show is an extension of the countless interviews and debates that Nye had thrown himself into over the years in an attempt to give science a voice amidst countless myths and phony arguments. With Netflix handing him a giant microphone to reach its 83 million worldwide subscribers, his clarion call to place science back into the driver's seat will reach and inspire a whole new generation.

Explaining why the Bible's Great Flood never happened

In a 2014 debate with creationist Ken Ham, Nye respectfully deconstructed arguments presented by the creationism movement for why the Earth is older than 6,000 years old. The discussion between the two lasted more than two and a half hours and covered everything from radiometric dating to ice core data to the light from distant stars. In this video, Nye explains why the Bible's Great Flood never happened by using the layers of the Grand Canyon as evidence to the contrary.

Explaining the science of climate change using emoji

In partnership with General Electric, Nye came up with the brilliant and amusing idea of explaining some difficult scientific issues using smartphone emojis. Everything from how holograms work to the creation of super materials is covered using Nye's gift of edutainment. You'll definitely not find anyone who can explain the climate crisis this brilliantly in less than two minutes.

Taking on the concepts of ghosts and the afterlife

One of the beautiful things about Nye's approach to science is that he's unafraid to tackle some big questions — such as this video questioning the existence of a spirit world. As you can probably guess, he's not a big believer. "There’s nothing afterwards," he declares. "So what you’ve got to do is live this life as best you can. That’s the way to go."

Explaining why we have sex

When Neil deGrasse Tyson needed someone to talk about the touchy subject of sex, he turned to Nye to flesh it out in an easy to understand manner. The explanation that follows, from inside a sex museum no less, is great — but the last line is hilarious.

Nye's iconic style of edutainment is presented in all its glory in this recent web series sponsored by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This particular bit focuses on how the Juno spacecraft was designed to survive Jupiter's intense radiation, but you'll honestly enjoy them all.

How to stop a killer asteroid

How would we prevent a massive asteroid from wiping out life as we know it? Nye has some ideas — including the use of "laser bees" to push a suspected Earth impactor off course. This last clip is seven minutes long, but the genius of Nye's storytelling will keep you glued to the final punch line.